# Cohibo eye candy... (lots of pics)



## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

but not mouth candy...







every last one of these pics are of fakes! 

I normally don't run into too many problems with fakes. I usually avoid questionably sourced sticks. but considering how many fakes there are out there, I am rarely surprized when I see them.

Whenever I see suspect sticks, I'm never sure what the proper thing to do is... but I usually say something. I'm convinced that the better informed you are the more likely it is that you can avoid getting ripped off.

Well, I got my hands on a heap of Genuine Fauxhibas... I'm glad I didn't pay for them, but it makes me sad to think that people repeatedly get suckered into buying these things. 

Sadly, the supply of these fakes are not going to end anytime soon. So it is a good idea to arm yourself with knowledge. there are numerous posts and threads detailing the ways to avoid getting cheated so I won't get into that.

I would like to propose something tho... 

Whenever, I see threads about fakes it seems that the definited method for spoting them is by smoking it... I often wondered if I would be able to pick out a "fake" if one were presented to me... well, after going thru a bunch of this load of fakes, I am pretty sure that I can. and frankly, I think it has been a fairly good educational experience for me.

Well, I thought it might be useful to offer our community a chance to try out a fake. I've got a decent amount and I am not going to smoke anymore (education is over), and I'm not going to pass them on to anyone as genuine. I think I am going to offer them to CS as a educational maerial. The alternative is to throw them out. I'm not rich, so I can't send them all over the world... I'll send them out for free for a while (we'll see how many people are interested). I'm still working out the rules. but basically, for now, I'll send out some sticks to the first five people to post their interest in this. the catch is that the five must be willing to post a review of their experience (more than just "blah, it tasted bad"). I'll post pics of more of the different fakes I have and I will let everyone decide which ones they wanna try. Oh, one more request... reviewers should have at least a little exerience with the genuine article so as to have something to compare these to.

So for now, interested subjects should post here that they want the fake fiver and PM me their addy. First 5 peeps gets them... I'll see how many are left, how well received this experiment is, and how much money it costs me... and maybe send out more after we get some experience write ups.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

Wow what a great idea! 

I can't wait to see some of the feedback from the more educated palates here.

Damn, what a great idea.......

But at least they spelled "Cohiba" correct....lol


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## JordanWexler (Mar 29, 2008)

i would be scared to try these! who knows whats in them?


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

I'll go for it but you should know that I've never had a genuine Cohiba so I don't know what to compare it to. I plan to give one to a friend that gives out fauxhibas that he swears are real. When he raves about it I'll tell him it's fake. Thanks!


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## Fishbeadtwo (May 30, 2006)

I'm in for the taste test review program! Heck, I'll even do a comparison to the real(I assume) real counterparts of the one (s) I have. Pictures will also be included. PM me for contact info.....Always wanted to try a genuine fake!


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## Twill413 (Jul 19, 2006)

JordanWexler said:


> i would be scared to try these! who knows whats in them?


Odds are they won't hurt ya :r.

I smoked through four of a fiver of fugazi Cohiba Esplendidos in a glass top box I bought in Mexico before I found this site. They were pretty brutal, but I thought it was something you had to develop a palate for. This is a very cool idea, and I think once you smoke a fake, so long as it's not the Mona Lisa of fakes, that you won't forget the difference between that and the real deal. Did I mention I love CS?


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## ambientboy (Jun 10, 2007)

I'm game. It seems impossible that I'd write a short review, so it's guaranteed to not be terse.


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## tallypig (Apr 26, 2008)

I'm up for an adventure. I'll be glad to try one-I've had one that I supected was a fake-but was unsure. Thanks for the opportunity.

David


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## webjunkie (Jul 18, 2007)

I'll give it a whirl. At the very least it'll give me an excuse to actually get my camera working.


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## tchariya (Feb 26, 2007)

I'll step in to give some fakes a try.


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## Smoked (Apr 12, 2007)

Good idea Jinny.


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

Would love the opportunity to try a fake.
I have a couple of cohibas obtained from a habanos dealer and would love to put them side by side.


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## Ashcan Bill (Jul 29, 2006)

A generous offer Jinny, and tempting, especially since I work in the SFV, but not that tempting! I've been blessed with the experience in the past. 

I'm curious though - what did _you_ think of them? Did you feel they had a halfway decent taste profile, or were they basically Mexican dirt weed?


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## chibnkr (May 2, 2007)

Blech! Life is way too short to smoke crappy cigars!


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## DETROITPHA357 (Jul 8, 2006)

chibnkr said:


> Blech! Life is way too short to smoke crappy cigars!


Ron and TriShield told me that and I think that was the best advice I got:tu Lite it up and if u dont like it toss itLite up another and it u dont like that1toss it2. Always keep a few go2smokes in case this happens.:ss


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## hk3 (Jan 29, 2008)

What a great idea! This will be very interesting to see what the outcome is and what you testers think of them.

I have some fauxi's that I would be willing to contribute to your experiment. Please let me know if you or the contestants would like to review them.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

okay, looks like we've got six takers... which is okay, I've been accused of bad math skills (or good gorilla math skills) before so, no big deal. I'm still gonna call it "five" tho 'cause "five fake six" is not as alliterative as "five fake five"... so "five" reviewers it is! (six is the new five).

so, here's the "five" on the hook for a review...

krisko
ambientboy 
Fishbeadtwo 
ahbroody 
demiurgic
FattyCBR 



I'll get the addys and ship 'em out...



(I know, there are only five bags... I'll make up another to ship to make it an even "five")

so all the bags have two Monte's: a Reserva Robusto, and a #2; and 4Fauxhiba's: a Maduro5, a Robusto, an allusive and spectacular 40th Anni barber pole esplendidos, and an Edicion Limitada (2004Sublime or 2007DoubleCorona). remember these are all FAKE! I don't know what these really are, but I will refer to them as they are labeled.

I'm not gonna impose too many rules for the reviews... do whatever you want... have fun!


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Oooo... Looks like I had three takers from the thread...

tallypig
webjunkie 
tchariya 

I guess I should have checked this thread before checking my email... or been a little more clear... my bad.

so three more added to the "five" tha's still "five," right?

no probs... PM me your addys and I'll ship 'em out.


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## The Pict (Jan 6, 2007)

jinny said:


> okay, looks like we've got six takers... which is okay, I've been accused of bad math skills (or good gorilla math skills) before so, no big deal. I'm still gonna call it "five" tho 'cause "five fake six" is not as alliterative as "five fake five"... so "five" reviewers it is! (six is the new five).
> 
> so, here's the "five" on the hook for a review...
> 
> ...


How did you wind up with all these fakes Jinny? You been raiding Reflex's humi again?:r
This is an interesting idea. I'll look forward to reading the reviews.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

while I'm here, let me post some pics of these fabulous fakes...


so tempting.



anyone know of what factory LIN is?



hard to tell in the pic, but the seal seems too glossy.



ink transfered to lid.. not sure if that's normal?



I know they are fakes, but they still look decent... and these actually smell pretty darned convincing... these will make great yardgars.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

hk3 said:


> What a great idea! This will be very interesting to see what the outcome is and what you testers think of them.
> 
> I have some fauxi's that I would be willing to contribute to your experiment. Please let me know if you or the contestants would like to review them.


thanks for the offer... but I have more fakes than I would like at the moment


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

The Pict said:


> How did you wind up with all these fakes Jinny? You been raiding Reflex's humi again?:r
> This is an interesting idea. I'll look forward to reading the reviews.


That Reflex... can't trust that guy! 

I'll have to explain where I got these in person at the next Valley Herf. 
I encourge anyone else that is curious to know where these came from to attend said herfs as well. I'm a little paranoid about who will see this, so i prefer not to divulge the original source... nobody that anyone would know on this site tho.


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## Don Fernando (Jan 1, 2000)

some fakes are pretty good smokes though, I had some fake cohiba's that were very nice, but the real ones are better.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

more fabulous fakes...


Mmmmm... looks good on the internet...



how 'bout EDC? what factory is that? is that an ink smear above "Habanos"?



can't tell from the internet, but these really smell good.



some of the bands look pretty good... well, the "shimmer" in the limitada band lacks the correct luster, but other than that, I, personaly, would be hard pressed to tell just from looking. 



looks okay here... but cut them open and you will see why there are soft, less-firm spots... floor sweepings. yep, not all long filler... not quite choppped, but not full long leaves. not that these shorter filler sticks couldn't be good, but they aren't the stick they claim to be, which is the problem. there was also a decent amount of stems on the inside... there was a concerted attempt to keep the stems from showing at the foot tho... sneaky!


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Don Fernando said:


> some fakes are pretty good smokes though, I had some fake cohiba's that were very nice, but the real ones are better.


yes... these actually smell really good... which is what worries me... even a fairly knowledgable unsuspecting tourist could easily be duped by some of these. especially the plain robustos in this group... they are made well and besides being a tad darker than genuine, it's tough to call without a real one to compare to. on all of them, initial light up is close enough to genuine to fool me... which probably isn't saying much tho. but after smoking a while, you start to notice that the problem is what's missing. my friend said it best... after a few minutes, you feel like you are smoking paper... there is none of that flavor you expect. which is why it is a good idea to have some familiarity with the genuine article so that you know what to expect. without that in your mind, you are just left to assume that these are just flat boring smokes.
Again, of the group, I think the Fauxhiba robustos are the best... I would almost consider keeping them as general daily smokes... although, in the back of my paranoid mind, I would constantly be wondering what it is I'm really smoking.

looks good in the humi tho.

the montes were probably the easiest to tell from the bands... they were a little too dark, looked too glossy, and the fleur d' lis is not right... the arms are detached from the body

here are some of the bands scanned...

remember all fake... I don't have any Fartagasses, but I threw in the band... not a very good one.


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## Bear (Sep 22, 2007)

Threads like this scare the BeJesus out of me... 
I guess the bottom line is know your source!


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

Bear said:


> Threads like this scare the BeJesus out of me...
> I guess the bottom line is know your source!


Really...I'm tempted to never buy Cohiba just because of the excellent fakes out there. Is it safe to assume that the cigars from our favorite 3 or 4 internet vendors are genuine?


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

okay I made up four more FakeFivers to accomodate the people I overlooked in the thread. 

the four Fake Fiver packs I just made has a different mix...

two Montes: a Reserva Robusto and a #2; and four Fauxhibas: a Maduro5, 2004 Edicion Limitada Sublime, Reserva Esplendidos, and a fabulous but elusive 40th Anni barberpole Esplendidos.

I'm throwing these packs along with the other packs into separate boxes and addressing them at random, so I don't know who's getting what mix. you will have to excuse me for not being that concerned with the inventory. 

That said, I have no idea how these were stored before I got them... and to be totaly honest, I haven't exactly been that carefull with handling them either. so I can't say for sure that the bland/flat taste isn't from terrible storage... but I would guess that even the best conditions couldn't hide the fact that they are fakes.

I can say that they are in decent condition (humidification wise) at the moment. I don't know how they will fare in transit... the ziplocks aren't perfect, and I'm not wasting water pillows on these sticks... but if you get them within the next couple days, they should be fine.


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## Deem (Jan 1, 2000)

Jinny,
Don't want to give any info up here but could these be from a certain _music guy?_

pm me if you want.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

some more fakers...


it's sad how much work goes into making these fakes... imagine if they put some of that effort into making the cigar better...




Three of the four boxes I have have this same box code... they sure were busy at the LIN factory in 07...


It says "legitimo"... these must be real.


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## CigarmanTim (Apr 5, 2008)

I have 4 fake Monte # 2's. I usually buy only at LCDH. This one time I was too lazy to take a train....I bought 4 at a brand new cigar store in a mall....I knew right away they were fakes. The color was way off, the tapered cap was atrotious. I knew right away they were fakes. The bands were loose and 1 band slid the whole length of the cigar lol I will never buy from any place but LCDH again. I tried 1 and I swear the roller wiped their butt with it. I gave away the 4 real ones and kept the fakes...just to show ppl what a fake looks like.

I was wondering...what tipped you off on the Cohiba's????


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Deem said:


> Jinny,
> Don't want to give any info up here but could these be from a certain _music guy?_
> 
> pm me if you want.


not that I know of... but you have to watch out for those certain music guys in general. 

...hope you can make it to a valley herf again sometime.


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## Deem (Jan 1, 2000)

jinny said:


> not that I know of... but you have to watch out for those certain music guys in general.
> 
> ...hope you can make it to a valley herf again sometime.


I'd like too again................was nice when I was staying in the Valley.
Living in So OC and driving to LA 5 days a week for work makes it tough to do it a 6th


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

CigarmanTim said:


> I have 4 fake Monte # 2's. I usually buy only at LCDH. This one time I was too lazy to take a train....I bought 4 at a brand new cigar store in a mall....I knew right away they were fakes. The color was way off, the tapered cap was atrotious. I knew right away they were fakes. The bands were loose and 1 band slid the whole length of the cigar lol I will never buy from any place but LCDH again. I tried 1 and I swear the roller wiped their butt with it. I gave away the 4 real ones and kept the fakes...just to show ppl what a fake looks like.
> 
> I was wondering...what tipped you off on the Cohiba's????


well, for me it was easy... price these were originally going for (remember I didn't pay for them, but I know what they were trying to get) they were half the cost of plain jane cohibas... and these were for "limited edition" ones... besides, all limited edition stuff not from a legit source worries me... actually, any cohiba not from a legit source should worry you, but limited edition stuff is almost guaranteed to be fake... beyond that... the seal is off color and too shiny, all the wrappers on the fakes seem to be darker than a real one... well, besides the maduro5... which should be darker, but on the fake, it's just a tiny bit darker than the other fakes... which isn't saying much, since the real maduro5's from what I remember, were not that dark (unless I had fake maduro5's in the past too). build quality is the main giveaway... some of the sticks have serious voids in them.. they should be firm the whole length. and taste... or lack of, was a big giveaway. cut 'em open and the numerous stems, short filler, and wide variance of leaf color was evidence too.

on the 40th anni barber poles... well, just the fact that genuine versions of these don't exist was the main giveaway.

again, to my less than athoritative experience, smell was practically the only part that suggested that these were possibly real... but that just suggests that they used decent smelling possibly cuban wrapper.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Holy cow, Jinny. I'm stunned. I know fake Maduro5 have been around but this is the first time I've seen one for real. This is a fascinating, amazing collection of counterfeits you've acquired. :tu

Wilkey


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## Bear (Sep 22, 2007)

On my last trip to Cuba I had been approached a number of times for cigars from "a cousin who works in a factory" who gets them cheap. I flat out told them all that I knew they were fakes, that they knew they were fakes and let's just agree to this. I then informed them that I would still be interested to purchase them for a HUGE discount. I was specifically looking for glass top Cohibos. Unfortunately I had no takers.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

3x5card said:


> Holy cow, Jinny. I'm stunned. I know fake Maduro5 have been around but this is the first time I've seen one for real. This is a fascinating, amazing collection of counterfeits you've acquired. :tu
> 
> Wilkey


 I only had a couple, but I wasn't too impressed with real maduro5's.. so much so, that I'm really surprized that people would bother with making fakes... now, in light of these fakes, I'm starting to question if the ones I had were real... :hn

I've got sticks with your name on them... I would be honored to hear your take on them. 



Bear said:


> On my last trip to Cuba I had been approached a number of times for cigars from "a cousin who works in a factory" who gets them cheap. I flat out told them all that I knew they were fakes, that they knew they were fakes and let's just agree to this. I then informed them that I would still be interested to purchase them for a HUGE discount. I was specifically looking for glass top Cohibos. Unfortunately I had no takers.


if they get desperate enough to offer you a deal, please don't sell 'em as real.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

some more pics of the "Esplendidos Reserva"...


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## King James (Dec 18, 2005)

hey, sir tony just got one of those maduro 5 fakes


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

and the one that everybody is waiting for...

the infamous 40th aniversario barberpole esplendidos! yay!



I'm glad they adorned the entire box with little "40's", just in case you missed the big one in the middle.


good, more of those little "40's" on the bottom too. and that prolific LIN factory making all those special sticks in '07. 


oh, thank goodness... two giant "40's" and a whole mess of smaller ones.


the band says Reserva 1966-2006... phew... at least the math is right.
although, there doesn't seem to be enough little "40's" in this view... just one on each stick and one on the sheet... look at all that empty space on that vellum!


I'm glad Cohiba started making maduros so that it can honor its 40th anniversary by making this barberpole stick.


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## Bear (Sep 22, 2007)

jinny said:


> if they get desperate enough to offer you a deal, please don't sell 'em as real.


God no! They would be used for live autopsie purposes to be carried out on Club Stogie!


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Bear said:


> God no! They would be used for live autopsie purposes to be carried out on Club Stogie!


:tu


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## ambientboy (Jun 10, 2007)

jinny said:


> not that I know of... but you have to watch out for those certain music guys in general.
> 
> ...hope you can make it to a valley herf again sometime.


Us musicians are a shady bunch


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

alright, all "five" packages (actually about 12) have been sent out (even to some shady musicians).

woo hoo! I sent them the cheapest way, First Class... so no DC#'s for these. I figure that these aren't worth it. 


remember, people that get a fake fiver are obligated to review one of the sticks... or post something about the experience that might be helpful to our community. :tu

...although, if you don't post a review, I suppose there isn't much I can do. 

Have fun everybody!


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## Dom (Jan 19, 2008)

I was wondering if you planned on selling/giving away some of those fakes, either montes or Cohibos, let me know ill pay the shipping.


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## Bear (Sep 22, 2007)

Dom said:


> I was wondering if you planned on selling/giving away some of those fakes, either montes or Cohibos, let me know ill pay the shipping.


If this isn't an option, what about taking one apart with lots of pics to see if the counterfeiter had any skill?


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

Oh man, love when the show the innards of a fake! :tu


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## Jay Hemingway-cl (Oct 21, 2007)

chibnkr said:


> Blech! Life is way too short to smoke crappy cigars!


:tu


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## z3ro (May 8, 2008)

dumb question, how did you know they were fakes?


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## TanZ2005 (Jun 25, 2006)

Some day Some way I will get a CC. Never have tried one. I was last in Canada in 1998 and didn't even think about buying a CC. What is wrong with me. OK OK don't answer that LOL.

James.


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## Tour De Cigar (Feb 26, 2007)

The cohib fool me.. but I was wondering about the montes.. because of the wrapper apperance, they all didnt look the same... nice job.. :tu


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Dom said:


> I was wondering if you planned on selling/giving away some of those fakes, either montes or Cohibos, let me know ill pay the shipping.


 um... yes... I assume you mean more than i already have, but just in case you didn't notice from the rest of the thread, i am giving them away...

these will not be sold... even as fakes.

stay tuned, i will be giving some more away as soon as we get some posts about experiences.a



Bear said:


> If this isn't an option, what about taking one apart with lots of pics to see if the counterfeiter had any skill?


 already done that to most of them... I mentioned in an earlier post what I found... but of course, pics would be better... I will dissect some more and post pics if the reviewers don't...



Costa said:


> Oh man, love when the show the innards of a fake! :tu


 then prepare to be in love... 'cause I'm sure a few of these fakes will be eviscerated.



z3ro said:


> dumb question, how did you know they were fakes?


 I thought I already mentioned throughout the thread a few reasons why I thought they were fake.
but to quickly recap... mainly asking price too cheap to be true. and taste.



TanZ2005 said:


> Some day Some way I will get a CC. Never have tried one. I was last in Canada in 1998 and didn't even think about buying a CC. What is wrong with me. OK OK don't answer that LOL.
> 
> James.


"CC"? credit card? 

I don't know what's wrong with you. :r


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Tour De Cigar said:


> The cohib fool me.. but I was wondering about the montes.. because of the wrapper apperance, they all didnt look the same... nice job.. :tu


the montes were easiest for me to see as fake because of the band. it is hard to tell from the web, but the band is considerably darker than a genuine... the color is comparable to the brown on a NC Montecristo... also, the letters are just a tad fuzzy... and the fleur d' lis (the boy scout logo looking thing in hte middle) is fuzzy too... and the arms of the fleur d' lis is supposed to touch the center body part on the real deal and they do not on these fakes.

outside of the band the wrapper is too dark for a monte#2 and some of the wrapper is just wierd looking. some had a weird mottled look... real ones I've seen have very pretty wrapper.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

just 'cause I'm getting similar email requests, I'll make a general announcement about these sticks...

I STILL HAVE MORE! but not much more, this first round of fake fiver packs did a good job of clearing most of them out. but I have more so don't fret yet. who knew that there would be such interest in getting a free fake cigar.

the sticks I have left are getting the freezer treatment... and in a few days they will be going into a humi that I clear3ed out for these fakes... I'm going to see if some time in a well kept humi does anything to the sticks.

I was planning to bring them to the Valley herfs to let other people try them, but I will also send them out to others. I will have to figure out a way to choose recipients, 'cause from the initial demand, I'm certain that I don't have enough fakes to go around. we'll see...


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## Fishbeadtwo (May 30, 2006)

Jinny, thanks for the opportunity to try some genuine fakes! I have a couple of their genuine counterparts so a side by side comparison will be interesting. If possible please pm me your addy for a contribution to the cause....Education is important and we all know knowledge is power.....:tu


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

Fishbeadtwo said:


> Jinny, thanks for the opportunity to try some genuine fakes! I have a couple of their genuine counterparts so a side by side comparison will be interesting. If possible please pm me your addy for a contribution to the cause....Education is important and we all know knowledge is power.....:tu


Wow, are you saying that you got them already?
I thought I just sent them off yesterday.
USPS must be using some fast ponies.

Thanks for the offer for a contribution... I really appreciate it, but I don't want it to look like I'm doing this for some sort of return. the kind words is more than enough... although the return addy on the package will work 
 , but seriously... I'm not looking for anything in return... except some sort of review or post that might be helpful to our community.:tu


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

Got mine today :tu
I will be doing to side by side comparisons.
The first will be one of the sticks vs a siglo2 purchased from a habanos dealer that is very reputable.
The second will be the maduroyou sent vs in incoming secreto maduro which should arrive next week. 
I was so excitedwhen I opened the box as I had actually forgot about pming you. I was like holy crap!!! then I said awwwwww crap never mind 

This will be fun either way.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

ahbroody said:


> Got mine today :tu
> I will be doing to side by side comparisons.
> The first will be one of the sticks vs a siglo2 purchased from a habanos dealer that is very reputable.
> The second will be the maduroyou sent vs in incoming secreto maduro which should arrive next week.
> ...


hehe... I know, as I was packing them, I was thinking that if these were real, they would be among the bestest round of bombs ever. oh well.

enjoy anyways.

BTW, I do not take any resposibiliy for messed up palettes. after that day for smoking fakes I had a bad taste in my mouth for a while.


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## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

This should be fun to watch.......... :tu


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## ambientboy (Jun 10, 2007)

Got mine today. Looks like it'll be interesting to write reviews on these...


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## Fishbeadtwo (May 30, 2006)

jinny said:


> Wow, are you saying that you got them already?
> I thought I just sent them off yesterday.
> USPS must be using some fast ponies.
> 
> ...


Haven't checked the mail today yet...Looking forward to a slice and dice photo op!:cb Will make sure I don't blame you for a set a wasted taste buds so will do a cleanse with a couple of Cremosas before lighting up the real stuff again.


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

I got my fugazzi in the mail today, thanks! I'll have to wait until sunday for my first review unfortunately (I am throughly enjoying what I think is a Diplomaticos 2 :ss). By the way, are we to post our reviews in this thread or will somebody start a new one for the 'jinny fugazzi'?

These cigars are especially relevant since I'm trying to figure out if some Maduros I've recently acquired are real or not. These maduro fakes look great, would easily fool my untrained eye, and these others I've got look actually better. I'll probably show pics of these fakes next to my 'possible' fakes in the other thread I started.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

krisko said:


> I got my fugazzi in the mail today, thanks! I'll have to wait until sunday for my first review unfortunately (I am throughly enjoying what I think is a Diplomaticos 2 :ss). By the way, are we to post our reviews in this thread or will somebody start a new one for the 'jinny fugazzi'?
> 
> These cigars are especially relevant since I'm trying to figure out if some Maduros I've recently acquired are real or not. These maduro fakes look great, would easily fool my untrained eye, and these others I've got look actually better. I'll probably show pics of these fakes next to my 'possible' fakes in the other thread I started.


personally, I don't care where a thread is started... but in the interest of not clutering up the rest of the site, with perhaps a handfull of "fake habano taste bad" threads, I might suggest posting it here. but if the review is in depth and made with a comparison to some genuines (or in your case suspected genuines), it might be worthy of a thread by itself. your choice... if a separate thread is created, maybe just post a link to the other thread here. just suggestions. :tu


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

Sounds good. If by Sunday no one else starts a thread on these cigars perhaps I will, or I'll just post the review to this thread.


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## ambientboy (Jun 10, 2007)

I won't have any time to smoke until after I get back from nashville next week. So if you guys start a thread, I'll hop on board when I review mine.


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

As it turns out, I was able to light up the short Cohiba Maduro (magicos?) tonite. I've paired it with a Bacardi and Coke Zero.

Appearance wise the cigar looks genuine to me, but remember that I've never had a genuine Cohiba before. Foot looks good and it appears to have a triple cap. No stems in the foot or the head after I clipped it with the xikar.

Pre-light draw was too easy, like I was sucking on a wide straw. It lit up easily enough and the draw was nearly perfect...oddly tighter than without any fire. Cigar is burning well if not perfect with a medium gray ash. Flavor is on the light side but enjoyable...I seem to get a little of that cuban twang in the nose (placebo effect?).

Middle third. Major burning issue, burnt very quickly down one side and had to touch up twice. Still drawing easily and getting a lot of smoke. Fairly one dimensional to this point though I'm still getting an almost Partagas like flavor when I take a little bit in the nose.

Final third. Cigar spontaneously went out but re-lit easily enough. It burned very well till I nubbed it. Flavor at the end was nice but not memorable and with no cuban 'twang'. Ash was stout through out...had to knock it off when it got over 1 inch long. Cigar didn't smoke 'young' and I felt like it was well conditioned in spite of transport and only 2 days of rest in the humi.

Conclusions...I would believe this cigar to be the real thing had I not known different. Honestly I wonder if jinny is wrong and it is the real article. I thoroughly enjoyed the cigar and would probably give it an 88 on the CA scale. I think I would be disappointed in the cigar if I had paid $22 for it (what a vendor I use charges). I would probably chalk up the shortcomings to youth and give it another shot after 6 months or so.

Thanks again to jinny for giving me the opportunity to take part. I guess all this exercise proves is that I'm both easily pleased and easily fooled.


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

I took more pics but I get an upload error saying I 'exceeded my limit'. Is this some kind of daily limit? Should I upload to a site and then link it here?


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

Crap I really wish I had bought a magicos instead of the secreto.
OO well I will be doing a side by side next saturday of the maduros.
I think this saturday I will do a siglo2 vs one of the other sticks. 

Its a damn shame


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## adsantos13 (Oct 10, 2006)

ahbroody said:


> Crap I really wish I had bought a magicos instead of the secreto.
> OO well I will be doing a side by side next saturday of the maduros.
> I think this saturday I will do a siglo2 vs one of the other sticks.
> 
> Its a damn shame


Dont be too upset, the Secretos are IMHO a nice smoke. Everything Ive read says the Secretos have been the best to smoke young, with the other two models needing some nap time. :tu


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## webjunkie (Jul 18, 2007)

Got the fakes today! Couldn't wait (don't know why) so I've sparked up a monte #2, and we'll see how it goes.


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## webjunkie (Jul 18, 2007)

Here we go.










The construction isn't that bad really. My only complaint would be that the wrapper is a bit veieny Smells quite good too. As for the pre-light draw&#8230; well the aroma is quite good, but I can't really taste anything.

Now that I'm smoking it, well I taste smoke. So far I'm not impressed by the taste at all.

Still not much taste&#8230;. the aroma is still quite nice, but why can't I taste anything?

Okay, it's been a while (perhaps about fifteen minutes) and I'm finally tasting something. It does taste of tobacco and some spice. Unfortunately it is a bit harsh, and perhaps a bit bitter. I'm being careful not to smoke too fast so that's not it. The burn though, is straight and true. The ash is dark, and so far is holding up. Okay I was wrong, on closer examination it isn't uniform and given a slight tap falls straight off.

I'm now into the second third of the cigar, and the main complaint is the harshness of the experience. If I hadn't already been told it was a fake, I would say that it is too young and needs to rest for a while. The ash is still being troublesome. Whereas normally the ash will stay the same shape as the cigar, this is uneven with nooks and crannies even though the burn is quite straight.

Into the third bit of the cigar, but I have to say I'm still unimpressed. Also, the bitterness is not doing a favor to my mouth. It's time to get something to drink. Or it would be, but I can hear a couple of people racing down the highway that runs past my apartment complex, so I'm going to listen for a bit to see if they crash (they shouldn't it's a straight road).

Okay, I'm sorry, I'm done. As it's a review I should finish it, but I just can't do it. It's gotten too harsh, and I've tried smoking slower but it's not working. All in all, I'd rather have a pardon or a tat.










I know that there seems to be a lot left, but to be honest I smoke quite slowly, and that took me at least a hour and a half, and to be honest I'm not a big fan. Now of course Jin will turn around and tell me that it was real and I shall feel like a fool.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

hehe... thanks for the reviews so far. :tu


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## tallypig (Apr 26, 2008)

First and foremost, let me say thank you to jinny for a couple of things. Thanks for taking the time to educate everyone and thank you for sending me some of these to try. I have a couple of real Cohiba Cuban bands that I was able to compare to what you sent me and once you have comparisons, it really helps (See attached pic).

Someone gave me one of these a couple of months ago and said it came from a purchase of a three pack in Mexico. Same band and same orangy (instead of yellow) color. On some of these, there are obviously too many rows of squares. Another obvious clue was the application of additional "reserve" or "edicion limitada" style bands to cigars that just don't seem to match IE-plain Montecristo and with a gold leaf embossed second band. Lastly, one of the "Cohibas" was a barber pole style. It smoked OK, but I've never known that Cohiba made one in that style-unless someone can enlighten me?

Obviously some truth to the rumor that these are the most knocked-off cigars around.

Thanks Jinny!

David
tallypig


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## tallypig (Apr 26, 2008)

PS-I also feel as if I'm educated enough to at least not get taken in. Just the ID help is invaluable!

Thank you!


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

http://www.vitolas.net/displayimage.php?album=19&pos=15


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

OOOO god was that a mistake!!!
First off I will say while I am not a big cohiba guy I have had enough by now to know a cohiba when I taste it.
That sir was NO Cohiba, or none like I have ever had or want to again.
Now for the pictures and comments

Real on the left fake on the right

While the gold lettering is embossed the color is more of a orangey yellow then yellow these also only had two rows of dots on top which per a website I linked earlier is a dead give away.


Pre light draw
fake= tobacco and earth/dirt really easy draw
real= light spice, smooth perfect draw

Now for the first taste upon lighting and first 1/3
Fake= tobacco and cardboard(best description I can find)draw was airy.
real= that unmistakable twang, and a light spice not peppery just spice
Note the difference in ash color grey black on real white grey on fake



2/3 was pretty screwed. The fake had destroyed my sense of taste
The fake took on a bitter taste and combined with the tobacco carboard now had a grassy taste. On the genuine all I could pick up was a little spice because of the fake. 

Aroma was a huge difference
Real had that cohiba smell
Fake had little smell and what I did smell was faint amonia smell
Fake also burned much faster.

starting point 

finishing point

conclusion
I had to shut it down as I was becoming sick. I couldnt really taste the real anymore. I would not recommend anyone try this as it will likely make you sick and you will ruin a perfectly good CC. I know I wasted a siglo2 doing this. If that was a real cohiba then someone needs to be beaten for blending that stick and never be allowed to touch tobacco again. As I said at the start while I am not big on CC cohibas they are not bad. The fake tasted nothing like the real deal
I will do the maduro as well and compare to a secreto but just not at the same time as I am dying to try the secreto.

Sorry for the crappy review and bad pics it was my first ever.


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## demiurgic (Feb 18, 2008)

Just got the Rip offs in the mail. 


Will try them one soon, as soon as the volcano next door quits spewing VOG our way. Hard to breathe in many parts of Hawaii right now, let alone enjoy a stogie without hacking and coughing. 

Will try and post a review when I can. 

Thanks Jinny for the eye candy when I pop open the humi. 

demi


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## Fishbeadtwo (May 30, 2006)

Fugazzi bonanza has arrived and are resting in isolation to come to proper humidity. tests will commence in next few daze.....


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## FattyCBR (Feb 22, 2007)

Jinny-

Thanks for the sticks. I smoked the Monte RE this morning. It was a bit loose on the prelight draw and the cigar was not round and uniform, the shape changed from head to foot. Once I lit it the draw tightened up a bit and it tasted of tobacco. The taste reminded me of Drum rolling tobacco, but not as sweet and mellow, just strong tobacco. I smoked about 2" until the taste turned bad, it was kind of hard to describe, but just kind of unpleasant. Once I stopped smoking it I noticed I had a bad aftertaste of ash on my tongue, which may have been what I was tasting while I was smoking it.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try these. Here are some pics, the filler was long filler in the outer 60% and the bottom of the foot. The further up you went the shorter it became.


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## demiurgic (Feb 18, 2008)

Tried a cohiba and here is the brief. 
IT was mild, woodsy, and had a fragrant smell to it. We're talking Christian Dior type fragrance, not a natural one. 
Also, midway, the stogie left a fluorescent green ash that surprised me. I was done with it, because it got too wierd man. 

Overall, it burned, had tobacco and looked purdy. 
Like Jinny said originally, eye candy, not mouth candy. 
thanks for letting me try it man. That was a nice gesture in any case. 
demi


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## Smoked (Apr 12, 2007)

Nice work Jin. This is turning out to be a very entertaining thread. Nice work on the review ahbroody I am looking forward to the next one.


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## ahbroody (Mar 24, 2008)

well the secreto arrived yesterday.
I figure i will do this again o saturday. the real first thrn the fake second. dont know about the montes. Only had one, it was giftedand not sure if it was real as I really thought it sucked. 
I will need to locate one before i do that


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

well, the fakers are out of the freezer and resting in a humi set aside for these guys (don't want to mix these with good cigars). I'll let 'em sit for a couple days before I start sending them out again. Since demand for these fakes are greater than I expected, I won't be sending out as many per person as before (trust me, I'm doing you a favor by not letting you smoke too many of these). so, people interested in torturing yourself should PM me your addy's and I'll send you some fakes. I probably have enough to send out another dozen packages. Oh, even though I don't expect any funny business, I am going to mark the bands (probably near the back where the band meets) with a sharpie just so that these don't fall into unsuspecting hands.

thanks for the reviews so far. great job! :tu


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

BTW, my goal is to give away all these fakes. It was a decent one time educational experience, but they are not worth trying again. like I said in an earlier post, these things messed up my palette for a while. I finally re-calibrated my taste buds this past weekend... with a Partigas #2. Awesome.


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## ambientboy (Jun 10, 2007)

FattyCBR said:


> Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try these. Here are some pics, the filler was long filler in the outer 60% and the bottom of the foot. The further up you went the shorter it became.


I love cigar surgery!

I'll be trying my first of the faker fiver this weekend, I'll let you know what goes down!


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## mugen910 (May 14, 2008)

if it's not too late I would like to try a fake..it'll be a good learning experience..


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## stogie_kanobie_one (Feb 9, 2006)

Back to the original post in this thread. Aside from smoking them, I'm curious to know what for each of your posted pictures actually gave the cigars away as fakes?

Just curious.

SK1


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## genezawis (May 14, 2008)

Here's a link to Cigar A's Counterfeit Gallery.
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Counterfeits/Counterfeit_Gallery/0,3390,,00.html


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## Tour De Cigar (Feb 26, 2007)

stogie_kanobie_one said:


> Back to the original post in this thread. Aside from smoking them, I'm curious to know what for each of your posted pictures actually gave the cigars away as fakes?
> 
> Just curious.
> 
> SK1


Kanobie,
one of the give away is the fake only had two rows of dots above the cohiba name... :tu


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## stogie_kanobie_one (Feb 9, 2006)

Tour De Cigar said:


> Kanobie,
> one of the give away is the fake only had two rows of dots above the cohiba name... :tu


I see, but the ones pictured have three rows from what I can see correct? And also looking for the same on the rest. I mean in the end it doesn't really matter. It just kind of stands out to a newb like me as a question worth asking. That good ole curiosity quotient. 

SK1


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## pnoon (Jun 8, 2005)

Tour De Cigar said:


> Kanobie,
> one of the give away is the fake only had two rows of dots above the cohiba name... :tu


While there are fakes with only two rows of dots above the name on the band, I have seen far worse quality bands on legitimate Cuban cigars. To categorically conclude two rows = fake is a common misconception.


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## lenguamor (Nov 23, 2006)

jinny said:


> well, the fakers are out of the freezer and resting in a humi set aside for these guys (don't want to mix these with good cigars). I'll let 'em sit for a couple days before I start sending them out again. Since demand for these fakes are greater than I expected, I won't be sending out as many per person as before (trust me, I'm doing you a favor by not letting you smoke too many of these). so, people interested in torturing yourself should PM me your addy's and I'll send you some fakes. I probably have enough to send out another dozen packages. Oh, even though I don't expect any funny business, I am going to mark the bands (probably near the back where the band meets) with a sharpie just so that these don't fall into unsuspecting hands.
> 
> thanks for the reviews so far. great job! :tu


Jinny, I'll take you up on some of these if you're still game. I don't believe I've ever actually seen a fugazzi in person and I'd like to have something to compare to, do some dissecting...anyway I think it'd be interesting.

Thanks!


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

geez... I've dropped the ball on this. I've been crazy busy with end of the year stuff for my daughter's preschool. I've hardly had time to check in here. but the stticks are still sitting in a humi waiting to be sent out. I'll definitely be sending out sticks soon. I've got addys for some of you, but if you want some fake sticks sent to you, make sure that you have Pm'ed me a shipping address. I'm thinking that I'll have time to send some out on wednesday.

sorry, again, for the delay.


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

okay, I finally have a little time to get my head together.


I have a handfull of addresses to ship fauxgies to...


gwc4sc, Tanz2005, Joshuwa1, lenguamor, and hardcz... I'll get sticks out to you in couple days.

Tour De Cigar... I can't get a PM out to you... if you are still around, get me an addy and I'll send some Fauxhibas to you.

anyone else interested, please PM me an address and I'll get some out to you... probably.


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## M1903A1 (Jun 7, 2006)

jinny said:


> while I'm here, let me post some pics of these fabulous fakes...
> 
> so tempting.
> 
> ...


That box looks awfully familiar...I have an identical box, supposedly of Edicion Limitada 2003's. Box code LIN ENE 05. Got it when I bought a few sticks (less than a full box) at a dive B&M in my old hometown that had 'em out in the humidor...little did I know then! Taste of tobacco and paper sums 'em up fairly well.

Oh well, it makes a nice display, it's useful as a drybox...and it smells nice!


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## jinny (Sep 30, 2006)

M1903A1 said:


> That box looks awfully familiar...I have an identical box, supposedly of Edicion Limitada 2003's. Box code LIN ENE 05. Got it when I bought a few sticks (less than a full box) at a dive B&M in my old hometown that had 'em out in the humidor...little did I know then! Taste of tobacco and paper sums 'em up fairly well.
> 
> Oh well, it makes a nice display, it's useful as a drybox...and it smells nice!


ugh... hope you didn't pay to much for em.


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